Halton Police is Urging the community to protect themselves from Internet Pirates

The Halton Police Service is warning area residents of the dangers of using unsecured wireless internet connections in their homes.

Wireless computer connections are convenient and make for more flexible accessibility to the World Wide Web from in and around your home router. Police warn however that if your router is not secure, you could be leaving your entire network susceptible to infection or data theft.

If you do not have password protection or encryption for your home network, anyone can utilize your router to get into your system, or to hijack your signal to get onto the Internet.

To ensure your home wireless network is secure from unauthorized access consider following these security recommendations:

1. Change Default Administrator Passwords (and Usernames)
2. Consider turning on wireless encryption
3. Change the Default SSID
4. Disable SSID Broadcast
5. Enable MAC Address Filtering
6. Enable Firewalls On Each Computer and the Router
7. Turn Off the Network During Extended Periods of Non-Use

Your Internet provider or router manufacturer can supply more detailed instructions on how to protect your network. Click here for additional Safe Internet Surfing tips.

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